NEW YORK – In a previous baseball life, Terry Francona’s managing career was defined largely by epic, four-hour, made-for-prime-time cage matches between his Red Sox and the New York Yankees, those Red Sox teams dethroning those Yankees along the way.
Two decades, two rings, and a baseball lifetime later, even Francona’s Little Market Team That Could keeps giving the big-money boys from the Big Apple all they can handle.
The Cincinnati Reds’ 10-2 victory over the Yankees on Aaron Judge Bobblehead Day in the Bronx on Saturday, June 20 meant that the Reds will send this year’s ace, Chase Burns, to the mound on Father’s Day with a chance to make the Reds 6-for-6 in New York series since Francona was hired as manager before last season.
They’re 11-6 against the Mets and Yankees over those two seasons, winning exactly two of three in all five previous series against the pair of $300 million payrolls – perhaps even suggesting along the way the kind of talent behind all the optimism spouted within the clubhouse walls.
“Save it,” Francona said. “If they give us a win and a half (for those games), I’ll comment.”
To his point, if they can figure out how to handle the minimum-wage crews from Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Kansas City the same way, they might be onto something.
Until then, behold the sights of Andrew Abbott handling the Yankee bats and sounds of Sal Stewart’s and Spencer Steer’s bats in pounding home nearly all the Reds’ runs on Saturday.
Steer’s 12th home run of the season, a three-run shot in the fifth, came two pitches after a successful ABS challenge and capped a four-run inning comprised of nothing but unearned runs thanks to an error by first baseman Ben Rice opening the inning.
Stewart?
The Rookie of the Year favorite in the National League produced his second 6-RBI game of the season (also April 15 vs. San Francisco Giants).
He’s the seventh Red in the live-ball era (1920-present) with multiple 6-RBI games in a season, first since Jesse Winker and Nick Castellanos both did it in 2021.
And he did it with a large group of family and friends on hand, in his first career series in the storied stadium (next door to what used to be the even more-storied Yankee Stadium, pre-2009).
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t any different,” Stewart said. “It’s Yankee Stadium.”
Stewart drove in the Reds’ first two runs Saturday with a two-out double in the third inning that gave Cincinnati its first lead since Tuesday. He added a sacrifice fly on a hard line drive in the fifth and cleared the bases with a three-run double in the eighth.
He’s the 12th rookie in MLB history with two 6-RBI games in a season, first Reds rookie to do it.
It boosted his season total to 53, along the way putting him among the six fastest rookies to 50 in the post-1960 expansion era (by measure of team games).
Abbott (5-4) won for the second time in as many starts at Yankee Stadium by holding the Yankees to one run on five hits in five innings.
It’s the 10th consecutive start he’s allowed three or fewer runs after a rough start to his season.
Eight of the nine Reds starters delivered hits in the game on a day the club totaled 15, including seven doubles and the homer.
“We’re capable of doing that, and it didn’t surprise me one bit,” Stewart said.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: It’s been a New York state of mind since Francona came to town
Reporting by Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
